


Prima Facie

by Mithen



Category: Rocket Science
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-30
Updated: 2009-11-30
Packaged: 2017-10-04 00:20:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mithen/pseuds/Mithen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hal's still searching for words, but he seems to have found Ben in the meantime.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Prima Facie

Ben doesn't seem surprised to see Hal when he shows up at the dry cleaners, a few weeks after their failed attempt.  He wipes his hands on his smock and nods, saying just "Hal."

"Would you like to--uh, I mean--not that--but..."  Hal swallows, starts again.  "I mean, we could, if you'd like to--like to--like--"  Ben is waiting, not impatiently.  Just waiting.  "Would you like to--to--uh--go get some pizza?"

Ben smiles.

**: : :**

He's sitting in Ben's apartment, listening to him talk.  Ben keeps up a steady flow of chatter, a stream of words, ironic commentary on anything and everything:  the pizza, the waitstaff, the sunset, his frustrations, his hopes and his dreams pressed and folded like laundry.  Put away.

Hal listens, savoring the words.  There are things he wants to say, lots of things, but they don't scan to the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," or any other song.  But at some point, in the middle of a sentence, he leans over and puts his lips to Ben's.  Kisses him. 

Or he guesses it's a kiss, but it's nothing like the kiss with Ginny.  He had kissed Ginny like he was trying to wrench the words from her mouth with the force of his need and passion, like he was trying to inhale her voluble, loquacious, bright-glittering soul into his own being.  This is different.  Like he's tasting words, sweet and delicate.   _Frangible.  Pulchritudinous.  Prolix._ 

Ben kisses him like he's tasting silence and yearning.

After a while, Ben laughs a little, shakily.  "You realize, of course, that this...case...has no solvency at all.  And minimal inherency."

"But it's--it's got--it has--it's got--what it's..." 

Ben is smiling, waiting.  He knows what Hal's going to say, of course he does, but he doesn't seem to mind waiting.

"It's got--_significance_," Hal finishes, as if he's closed the most important argument of his life.

Ben doesn't seem to have anything to say to that.  But then again, for once in his life maybe he doesn't _have_ to say anything at all.


End file.
